Braided Spaghetti Bread (spaghetti baked inside garlic bread)

if you have something against carbs then this isn't for you. in fact, you should stop reading now because your eyes will probaby fall out of your head in shock at the amount of carbs in this dish.

pasta baked into bread. is that even legal? dear God i hope so- because i'm so guilty.
this is another Pinterest find. if/when i get fat i'm going to figure out a way to sue Pinterest. because it's their fault...not my lack of self control.

Now, you'll need to plan ahead just a bit. This recipe calls for a thawed loaf of Rhodes bread Dough & it takes 6-8 hours for the bread to thaw at room temp.

Braided Spaghetti Bread (adapted from Rhodes bake-n-serve blog)
You Need:
1 loaf Rhodes Bread Dough, thawed to room temp
6 oz spaghetti cooked (i used angel hair)
1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup cooked italian sausage or cooked hamburg (optional)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 in cubes
parmesan cheese
2 tblsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
dried basil

Directions: Pre heat oven to 350° Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper (do it. don't even both trying to go sans the paper. i'm 99% sure you'll make a mess when trying to transfer) & roll your loaf out into a 12x16 rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap & let it rest while you get everything else ready (10 min or so)

Cook your spaghetti (or angel hair) according to directions & drain. Mix in the tomato sauce & italian sausage/hamburg (optional) & let it cool slightly while you continue to prepare.

Cut your block of mozzarella into chunks.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish & stire in the minced garlic & a few shakes of basil. Uncover the dough & using a pastry brush, brush a little more than 1/2 of the butter mixture onto the dough.

Now spoon the spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of the dough- top with the mozzarella chunks.

make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart on the long sides of the dough to within 1/2 inch of the filling.

Start braiding by folding the strips towards the filling- braid left over right, right over left, etc etc- all the way down.
Finish the ends by pulling the strips over & tucking under the braid

Then brush the remainder of the garlic butter all over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese, a little more basil & some garlic powder. I also added smoked paprika.

Slide the parchment paper to a large baking sheet & bake in your pre heated oven for 30 min- until golden brown. Let it rest for about 5 minutes & then slice to serve.

(here's an iPhone pic of the leftovers)

This was incredible. How could it not be? Past + Bread + Butter + Garlic...you get the idea. It was also so much food. Enough for dinner 2 + nights & leftovers on the 3rd day.

& you can totally put your own spin on this bad boy- next time I'm going to make this with broccoli & chicken & cheese. Adding broccoli makes it healthy- of course.